A father who was subjected to violence from his own brother after coming out as gay has been jailed for 14 months for making hoax bomb calls to Birmingham Central Library.

Naser Ahmed, aged 27, of South Road, Hockley, pleaded guilty to making three phone calls to library staff on May 17 and 18 last year.

In one call he mentioned Osama bin Laden while in another he spoke in Arabic and quoted from the Koran saying: “In the name of God the most merciful, God the most kind”.

In each call he said: “There’s a bomb in the building.”

After the third call, hundreds of staff and visitors were evacuated from the building for two hours while a more thorough search was carried out.

John Butterfield, defending, said Ahmed made the calls during the trial of his brother.

Ahmed had been on a “very traumatic journey” since coming to terms with his sexuality.

His wife left him and he has not had any contact with his children. He suffered violence at the hands of his brother and there had been an arson attack on his flat.

The day before he gave evidence against his brother at a court trial, which led to a conviction, was the day he made the first phone call.

“His life was in pieces and his peace of mind was in tatters,” said Mr Butterfield. “Obviously the way he reacted was irrational. But it seems to have been a plea for security and to have police in the area.”

Ahmed was linked to the hoaxes after making a 999 call to the police for being attacked in the street.

Judge Trevor Faber said he had no choice but to give an immediate custodial sentence because of the persistence of the crime.